I had a newly minted 4-year-old and a fresh 8-week-old baby on my most recent trip to the Resort at Paws Up during the dog days of summer in 2024. My husband and I thought it'd be better to chase around a wild little boy and soothe the cries of our infant while tucked away in a home away from home, because sometimes all you need is a change of scenery to shake the dust loose on a traveler's soul.
It's not unusual for us to travel with young children. In fact, we hitched up our travel trailer in 2021 with our first son being just shy of 10 months old and traveled the country for over 40 days. While I love the comforts of home and the security of everything being at my fingertips, I also love the contagious spirit of adventure. Children who are brought along on trips from the very beginning of their lives pack a certain spontaneity that lends the opportunity for rest and reset when you need it most.
The Meadow Homes beckon families. On the sprawling 37,000 acre property, the Meadow Homes are centrally located between The Village and the Wilderness Outpost. This treed setting gives way to a meadow that acts as a temporary summertime pasture for their large herd of horses. Paints, palominos, grays, and bays—they're a daytime dream of serenity. There was a hot tub, a wide deck, swivel chairs around a big coffee table, and board games lined the corner shelves. None of it was ours and yet, here we were—at home. We drive to dinner at The Shed, a casual and seasonal outdoor eatery near the Wilderness Outpost, and devour tacos and chips. There's something about fresh ingredients enjoyed in the warm evening air that invites one to stray from one's seat. I took a walk, taco in hand, baby in arm.
Back at the house there were quiet moments to be had. New games held attention. New rooms had hiding places. The floors were warm and the snacks were not what we were used to. Everything was sprinkled with excitement. And when energy was to be spent, a dirt road was rolled out before us.
Even the unexpected can happen over a long weekend away; a dinner on the Blackfoot River. An endless table took over the cow pasture, perfectly lined with flowers, and guests stood, sat, and gathered without phones in hand. Down by the river is where strangers become friends. The live band played and serenaded a fading sun. These moments, spent with my boys, surrounded by Montana's best natural setting, are etched in time and memory. It is exactly what a home away from home should feel like.
But every parent, especially of a newborn, knows that playtime isn't just for kids. Our older son spent half the day at Kid's Camp while Mom and Dad took turns getting lost in the woods. Chris, my husband, loves a good downhill mountain bike course. Their "Flow Trail" is ideal for a bit of adrenalin mixed with too-good-to-pass-up sightseeing. And I, being a lifelong horseman, took to the arena where a handy wrangler helped me aboard one of the many mustangs that call Paws Up home. The horse trails meander down dirt roads, narrow and treed settings, and open meadows where the vistas offer such solace and replenishment. Biking and riding are only two of the many recreational activities one can sign up for upon booking their stay.
Perhaps one of the best unforeseen parts of staying in one of the Meadow Homes is the walk to and from the Cook Shack. A short drive there with your complimentary Lexus can rumble a baby fast asleep, and when it's nap time again after dinner, a long walk up the gradual hill back "home" is just right. I always rejoice in our parting breakfast right after checkout, sitting at Trough on the open air patio that overlooks The Yard. Yard games call all the littles (bigs, too!) to engage together and make friends. Parents can watch from the patio and look out at the herd of bison that take up residency right beyond the fence line. It is a summertime dream—an escape needing to be had.
"Sometimes all you need is a change of scenery to shake the dust loose on a traveler's soul."
"The live band played and serenaded a fading sun. These moments, spent with my boys, surrounded by Montana's best natural setting, are etched in time and memory. It is exactly what a home away from home should feel like."